Mod-A-Day: The Jam

There are far too many Jam songs that deserve to be more recognized than they were originally, or to be remembered now that time has passed and the band, sadly, is being forgotten. I almost didn't do this post simply because starting down this path is like opening Pandora's box. Where would one stop? How could you highlight just one of their songs? But, I'm going to anyhow.

This is Saturday's Kids from 1979's Setting Sons, arguably the Jam's best album. It was originally supposed to be a concept album, but apparently the concept petered out. Fortunately the songs that petered in are excellent. None more so than Saturday's Kids, one of the band's most underrated.

The Jam -- Saturday's Kids

Mod-A-Day: Shel Naylor

One Fine Day is actually a Dave Davies song that the Kinks cast off. It was picked up by Shel Naylor aka Rob Woodward who was being managed by the Kinks producer Larry Page and he recorded and released a vocal version of the song that became quite a hit in the UK. And not without good reason. It's a floorshaking piece of sixties freakbeat R&B that could bring the lame to their feet. Woodward went on to bigger and better things with Lieutenant Pigeon which did mostly instrumentals and later Stavely Makepeace, something a of a joke band that did novelty songs. But, novelty songs that turned into chart topping #1 hits. Still, One Fine Day has to be some of Naylor's finest work.

Shel Naylor -- One Fine Day

Mod-A-Day: The Doors

Okay, I don't have a song to share with your from the Doors, because let's face you probably already have them all. And if you don't, well, then you need to make amends for this lack in your musical library. But, I did find a cool video of Ray Manzerak talking about how the band got together, and how they wrote Light My Fire.

[Update: The embedding process seems to be a problem for some viewers, though not others. Best bet, if the embedded video below doesn't play, is to go and view it here.]

Mod-A-Day: Permanent Green Light

I could have just died when in mid 80s one of the really great mod bands of the California scene seemingly turned their back on their tried and true sound and took a turn for the worst -- at least what I thought was the worst. A sort of poppiefied new romantic sound that had almost nothing of the sixties influenced power pop tunecraft that The Three O'Clock had been famous for over the past half decade. But time marches on and good song writers turn back to their strengths. Such is what happened with Permanent Green Light, headed up by former Three O'Clock front man Michael Quercio. We Could Just Die from the band's self-titled debut sounds like it was a cast off from a Three O'Clock recording session for Sixteen Tambourines. While Permanent Green Light is a mixed bag of good and not so great songs, We Could Just Die is the best track and more than makes up for some of the weaker points on the release.

Permanent Green Light -- We Could Just Die

Mod-A-Day: The Gymslips

Whisky makes you frisky/Gin makes you sin/Brandy makes you randy/and rum makes you ... ?

That's the catchy --and classic-- chorus from The Gymslip's Drink Problem, from their only LP release, 1983's Rockin' With The Renee's. After that release the band moved away from the harder edged post-punk sound they'd always had, and adopted a more new wavish, synthesized sound for the final couple of singles.

Not exactly sure what a Gymslip is, could be lots of things. One thing for sure is that's a good name for an all ladies quartet who considered themselves Rockin' Renees with a sound that embraced punk and power pop, and had a certain girlish agression that made them some of the earliest of the Riot Grrls. In addition to the very catchy chorus, Drink Problem has a drunken charm all its own that grows on you a little more with each listen. It's a fun track, and clever.


The Gymslips-- Drink Problem

Mod-A-Day: Trotsky Icepick

You can't not like a band called Trotsky Icepick. One of the all time great band names, I think. Imagine calling your band Jeffrey Dahlmer's Lips or John Wayne Gacy's Kitchen Knife (if anyone ever uses those you owe me). Trotsky Icepick was a post-punk band playing from 1983-1993 and boasted members from The Last, Leaving Trains and 100 Flowers, all bona-fide members of either the paisley underground or garage punk scene in southern California. This is probably their most popular song, Bury Manilow, a really great piece of synchopated post punk that comes from Trotsky's 1988 long player titled Baby presumably because of the really fat and creepy baby on the album comver -- by far the band's best produced and overall best album. The vocals by lead singer Vitus Matare always bring to mind for me Stan Ridgeway from Wall of Voodoo. Interestingly, Nirvana would later praise the band as an influence and herald them as forerunners of their grunge sound.

Trotsky Icepick-- Bury Manilow

Modcast #116: It's a Perfect World

This is Modcast #116 for those of you keeping count. Covering a lot of ground this week from the mod revival sound of the Killermeters and Wardens, to the psychadelic garage rock of Plan 9 and The United States of Existence to the power pop pogoing of Elton Motello and the Britpop --by way of Borlänge, Sweden-- of Mando Diao. What's not to like?

The Killermeters -- Twisted Wheel

Mando Diao -- If I Don't Live Today, Then I Might Be Here Tomorrow

Pimlico -- Basement

The Purple Hearts -- Perfect World

The Vinyl Kings -- '67 (Home)

Plan 9 -- Step Out of Time

The United States of Existence -- Return to the Psychadelic

Elton Motello -- Sha La La La Lee

The Methadones -- Starry Eyes

The Solarflares -- Father's Name is Dad

The Wardens -- Tricky Girls

Bonus Video
Mando Diao -- If I Don't Live Today, Then I Might Be Here Tomorrow

Mod-A-Day: The Nice

Daddy, Where Did I Come From? A question a child might ask but not a childish song at all. This is a bit of modish freakbeat psychadelia from 1968, by The Nice. The Nice started out as the backing band for ex-Ikette soul diva PP Arnold when she struck out on her own, but quickly moved to doing their own jazz-blues rock sets. They were fronted by Keith Emerson, and often heralded as the forefathers of the prog rock scene of the 70s. Indeed, Emerson later formed one of the premiere prog rock outfits which became known as Emerson Lake and Palmer. But, in the late 60s they were still working on pop influenced psych rock, with just a hint of the quirky orchestration that ELP would be known for in the 70s arena rock era. Daddy, Where Did I Come From has elements of style from the Moody Blues to Pink Floyd, and also includes modish overtones of later Small Faces and The Creation.

The Nice-- Daddy Where Did I Come From